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British Balfour Declaration

Definition

The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government during World War I announcing support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine.

Analogy

Imagine if your older sibling promised your shared bedroom to your cousin without asking you first. That's kind of what happened with Britain (the older sibling) promising Palestine (the bedroom) as a national home for Jews (the cousin), without consulting Palestinians already living there.

Related terms

Mandate System: A system established after WWI whereby former territories (including those with native populations) were administered by Western powers. In essence, it's like being put under someone else's control because you're deemed not ready to govern yourself yet.

Arab Nationalism: A nationalist ideology celebrating Arab civilization, language, literature, etc., and seeking political unity among Arab countries. It emerged largely in response to colonial rule and foreign intervention like that seen in the Balfour Declaration.

Partition of Palestine: The division of British Mandate Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, proposed by the United Nations in 1947. It's like dividing a pie into two pieces, but not everyone agrees on how it should be divided.